Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Matthew 7:20
Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
Verse 20. Wherefore by their fruits, &c.] This truth is often repeated, because our eternal interests depend so much upon it. Not to have good fruit is to have evil: there can be no innocent sterility in the invisible tree of the heart. He that brings forth no fruit, and he that brings forth bad fruit, are both only fit for the fire.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
20. Wherefore by their fruits yeshall know themthat is, But the point I now press is not somuch the end of such, as the means of detecting them; and this, asalready said, is their fruits. The hypocrisy of teachers now leads toa solemn warning against religious hypocrisy in general.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. This is the conclusion of the whole, and a repetition of what is before said, the more to fix the rule of judgment upon their minds, and engage them to try men by their doctrines, and their doctrines by the standard of the Scriptures, and not believe every spirit; for with some care and diligence such persons may be detected, and the malignant influence of their ministry be prevented. The sum of the whole is, that ordinarily, and generally speaking, as men are, so are the doctrines they preach, and by them they may be known, and judged to be what they are. Christ here, and in the preceding verses, is speaking not of men of bad lives and conversations, who take upon them to teach others; for there is not so much reason to caution good men against these; they are easily detected, and generally discarded; but of men that put on sheep’s clothing, who pretended to much holiness of life and conversation, and strictness of religion; and under that disguise delivered out the most corrupt and unwholesome doctrines; which tended greatly to depreciate him and his grace, and to do damage to the souls of men.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
See on Mt 7:16.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
1) “Wherefore by their fruit,” (ara ge apo ton karpon auton) “As a matter of observation from the nature of their fruit;” The fruit of the flesh is an evil, unholy, immoral, frustrating fruit, Gal 5:19-21; But that of the Divine nature, new nature, engrafted Word is a desirable, holy, good fruit, according to the Book, Jas 1:21; 2Pe 1:4-9; Gal 5:22-24; Luk 6:45.
2) “Ye shall know them.” (epignosesthe autous) “You all will know them,” when you see and observe them. You will know or recognize the false prophet or professor, like Judas Iscariot among the saints, will not escape hell, the judgment of a righteous God for- his unbelief, though it be covered with a sham profession and religious veneer of ordination, office of service and positional prestige. As the snake-hearted hypocrisy of Judas’ profession came to light, so will every man come to meet his maker in righteous judgment, Ecc 12:13-14; Mat 12:36-37; And God has left His children enough warning and information so that they may be good fruitbearers and “fruit inspectors”, so as to avoid producing bad fruit, even from their old nature, the carnal nature that remains in a child of God until death, 1Co 9:8-27; Rom 7:25; Gal 5:17-25; This is a summary explanation of the indifference between a “false prophet in sheep’s clothing,” that is inwardly “a ravening wolf,” and a sheep of the Lord’s flock, of His church, Mat 7:15.
False prophets are compared with wolves, dogs, and hogs; All are voracious, unclean, scavengers; They are sneaky by nature, flesh-eating for a living, loving vomit, slop, hiding in dark places and wallowing in the mire. Civilized people, informed people, are to recognize, be cautious of them, especially the religious ones, see? 2Pe 2:22; Joh 10:12.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(20) Ye shall know them.As before, in Mat. 7:16, the word is one which implies knowledge that is full, clear, decisivesuch as that to which St. Paul looks forward in the life to come (1Co. 13:12).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Mat 7:20 . ] itaque (Mat 17:26 ; Act 11:18 ), pointing to the inference from Mat 7:17-18 , and, by way of emphasis, introducing once more that which was already stated in Mat 7:16 as the theme of discourse.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
Ver. 20. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them ] See Mat 7:16 , where the self-same words are used. Lest any, under pretence of danger in hearing false prophets, should refuse to hear any, though they come with never so much evidence of truth, our Saviour wills and commands here, that examination and discretion go before both rejection of errors and receiving of truths. “Try all things; hold fast that which is good,” 1Th 5:21 . As the mouth tasteth meat, so the ear must try and taste words,Job 12:11Job 12:11 ; Job 34:3 . He is a fool that believeth everything, nay, anything that tends to the cherishing of corruption and carnal liberty, or the advancing of corrupt nature, which is nothing else but a piece of proud flesh, and must be abased to the utmost. a Christians should abound in knowledge, and in every sense; so as readily to discern things that differ, Rom 14:5 ; and not to be wherried and whirled “about with every wind of doctrine,” Eph 4:14 , as children, nor to be carried away as they are led, as Gentiles,1Co 12:21Co 12:2 . He that will take for true and trusty whatsoever any impostor puts upon him, shall be as foully deceived as Jacob was by Laban. Search and see whereto they tend, and what they drive at. If they would drive us from God, as Moses expresseth it, and draw us from the doctrine of godliness, that is grounded upon the word, to the truth whereof we have found God’s Spirit persuading our hearts, and yielding us comfort in it, Joh 6:45 ; 1Jn 2:27 ; abstain (or stand off) from all appearance of any such evil. Shun the familiarity of seducers, that discredit the truth; hear them not, their mouths should be stopped, Tit 1:11 ; Tit 3:10 . See how exceeding earnest the apostle is in this argument, 2Th 2:1-3 ; he knew well the danger: so Rom 16:17 . The Pharisees and false apostles would only have brought in a Jewish rite or two; yet are said to subvert the gospel, Gal 1:7 , and the apostle wisheth they were even cut off for it. Hymeneus and Philetus denied not the resurrection, but affirmed it only to be past already, and yet they are said to overthrow the faith of some, 2Ti 2:18 . And although we are wont to wonder at the absurdities of a contrary religion, and think a simple man may easily answer them; yet it is certain, the grossest adversaries of the truth are able to urge such reasons, and use such persuasions, as have in them great probability of truth, and may deceive the simple: “Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.” Which to prevent, “Grow,” saith the same apostle there, “in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ,” 2Pe 3:17-18 . Exact of yourselves a growth in every grace, in humility, however growing downward at least, if ye cannot find so comfortable a growth upward. Humility is both a grace and a vessel to receive grace; for God will give grace to the humble, and teach the lowly minded, 1Pe 5:5 ; Psa 25:9 . Grow also in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ; proving by experience in yourselves, what that good, that holy, and acceptable will of God is. Let your knowledge and practice run parallel, and be of equal extent. Study to live rather than to dispute, b to act rather than to contemplate: learn and labour to feel in yourselves the sweetness and goodness, the life and power, of what you know. The devil confessed Christ as well as Peter,Mar 5:7Mar 5:7 ; Mat 16:16-17 , -but the devil with a common knowledge, swimming in the brain, Peter with a saving knowledge, soaking to the heart root, and working upon the affections, those immediate springs of action. This is that knowledge, not apprehensive only, but affective too, that makes the mind good, full of incitations to good, glad of all occasions to do good, free from the stain and reign of former lusts, inclinable to serve God and our brethren by love, fearing the gospel more than the law, and God’s goodness more than his justice. Now to grow in these graces and in this knowledge, is the ready way to secure ourselves from seducers, to approve ourselves to have been conscionable hearers of a sound ministry, such as are founded upon a rock, and are therefore unmoveable, such as have gotten a knowledge so clean and certain as no heretic can draw from us. And lastly, to save ourselves from that untoward generation, Act 2:40 , our Saviour speaketh next of, in the subsequent verses, that have no more to show or say for themselves than Lord, Lord, &c.
a Sub laudibus naturae latent inimici gratiae. Aug.
b Nos non eloquimur magna, sed vivimus.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Mat 7:20 . : final inference, a very lively and forcible composite particle; again with similar effect in Mat 17:26 . The should have its full force as singling out for special attention; “at least from their fruits, if by no other means”. It implies that to know the false prophet is hard. Mat 7:22 explains why. He has so much to say, and show, for himself: devils cast out, souls saved, spiritual if not physical miracles done. What other or better “fruit” would you have? What in short is the test? Doctrine, good moral life? Is the false prophet necessarily a false teacher or an immoral man? Not necessarily though not unfrequently. But he is always a self-seeking man. The true prophet is Christ-like, i.e. , cares supremely for truth, righteousness, humanity; not at all for himself, his pocket, his position, his life. None but such can effectively preach Christ. This repetition of the thought in Mat 7:16 is not for mere poetical effect, as Carr (Camb. G. T.), following Jebb ( Sacred Literature , p. 195), seems to think.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
Mat 7:16, Act 5:38
Reciprocal: Pro 31:31 – of the Mat 12:50 – do Mat 15:17 – that
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
7:20
This verse is the conclusion of the important comparison of good and bad trees which applies to the lives of men in this world.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Mat 7:20. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Resumption of the thought of Mat 7:16, which has been further illustrated. Fruits, If in this case not actions, as usually, the actions of the false teachers were decisive as to their character, there would be little danger of their deceiving others; acts seemingly virtuous are often nothing more than the sheeps clothing in which the wolf wraps himself in order that he may deceive and devour the sheep. (Wordsworth.) Their influence, the moral effect of their teaching, is meant. Their acts may be included, and also the influence exerted upon the doctrinal belief of others; not their own doctrines, however, which form the tree in a certain sense. The main test in the case of teachers is their influence upon the lives of others.